How Long to Cook a Turkey

How long to cook a Turkey is a page providing you with all the information you will need to prepare a perfect turkey.

Cooking a turkey is a popular meal at both Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. You will not want your holiday meal to be spoiled by a badly cooked turkey so follow this guide for some handy hints about how to cook your turkey. As a general guide a frozen turkey will take about 50% longer to cook than a fresh turkey.

This guide will help you overcome two common faults when buying a turkey: A) Too many leftovers and B) Avoiding drying out the turkey – this is due to overcooking and a time guide is provided.

This can often be a difficult decision. You will not want to buy too much as you will not want to waste food but also will not want to eat turkey for two weeks. Below a list is provided of the recommended size of turkey required, dependent upon the number of guests you have. To provide each guest with an ample portion of turkey and also to have a modest amount left over here are some size guides:

• 6 people - 10 pound turkey
• 8 people - 12 pound turkey
• 10 people - 15 pound turkey
• 12 people - 18 pound turkey
• 14 people - 21 pound turkey
• 16 people - 24 pound turkey

The following are a guide of how long to cook your turkey. The time estimates assume the use of a pre-heated 350 degree (gas mark 4) oven, for an unstuffed turkey:

• 10 to 15 pounds – up to 3.5 hours
• 15 to 20 pounds – up to 4 hours
• 20 to 25 pounds – up to 4.5 hours
• 25 to 30 pounds – up to 5 hours

It is advisable to use a meat thermometer to check when your turkey is ready. The breast meet should be about 165 to 170 degrees and the thigh should be about 180 degrees.http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/egg/egg1197/chapter7.html

Note: 1) Oven times will vary, so it is best to check progress occasionally 2) For a stuffed turkey add an extra hour of roasting